IMDOS carries a vision shared by many stakeholders from researchers to policy makers to coordinate a globally coordinated and sustained marine debris monitoring framework. As a coordination body IMDOS will facilitate the long-term global monitoring of marine debris across different ocean ecosystems: from the sea surface, coasts to open ocean, and down to the deep seafloor.
To achieve this, IMDOS will promote interoperability for the integration of a range of observing elements, from citizen science initiatives to advanced technological tools, endorsing the use of state-of-the-art techniques throughout the monitoring process.
Addressing knowledge gaps and diverse stakeholder needs is crucial for establishing a sustained marine debris observing system, which can only be achieved through a holistic approach. The proposed observing system consists of three complimentary approaches that inform one another: in situ observations, remote sensing, and numerical modelling.
IMDOS’ vision also entails harmonising existing framework guidelines towards globally recognized standards, ensuring robust and sustainable monitoring of marine debris. By doing so, future efforts will generate adequate, FAIR (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reuse), and open data that can effectively inform regional and global marine debris indicators. Federated data management systems will be established in line with marine debris research requirements, based on standardized data and metadata structures. This system will enable data harmonization across various studies, data centres, and monitoring programs that will be able to feed the GPML Digital Platform and enable the Digital Twin of the Ocean for marine debris, as well as the Framework for Ocean Observing. Together with successful dissemination of these federated data management systems, investigators will be able to share their data for the benefit of all.
Through a globally coordinated and integrated monitoring system, IMDOS will support the capacity for model development, regular scientific assessments, and science-based decision-making.